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ROLE “EDGARDO” — BOY age 6-9 to play 6 years old. This is a unique and very challenging part for a truly special boy. The story deals with the complexity of an extremely intelligent and gifted child’s situation – his desire to return to his family and the faith of his ancestors, pitted against his ability to learn the Catechism and engage with the Pope on a level far beyond his years. HE SHOULD APPEAR TO BE A JEWISH ITALIAN child. We are not looking for any kind of Italian accent. LEAD.

STORY LINE“The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara”—Steven Spielberg is making a film about the true story of EDGARDO MORTARA – a 6 year old Jewish boy from Bologna who was reported to have been secretly baptized by a maid, and was deemed by the Catholic church therefore to be Christian. Pope Pius IX (to be played by Mark Rylance) decreed that the boy could not remain with his Jewish family. He was seized by the Papal State and taken to the Vatican where his indoctrination into Catholicism began. This was a cause célèbre of mid-nineteenth century European politics and the domestic and international outrage against the pontifical state’s actions may have contributed to its downfall amid the unification of Italy. This is an incredible story of real historical relevance.

To submit:Email delisicreative@gmail.com. Subject line: EDGARDO SUBMISSION / Name of boy, city/state. Body of email: Parents/Guardians contact info (names/phone), boys name/age/d.o.b, city/state of residence, along w/current non retouched photos. If you’d like to include a brief introduction, bio or resume, please do! Please note any related, special, or fun facts so we get to know him!

TODAY:
• French Police are stabbed while guarding a Jewish center in Nice, France. – Ynet News
• A Jordanian pilot captured by ISIS is shown in a video to be burned alive in a cage. – Daily MailYESTERDAY:
A Muslim couple in British Columbia, Canada who calls themselves “al-qaida Canada” plead ‘not guilty’ to charges of a bomb plot against British legislature in 2013. – National PostSUNDAY:
Confirmation that the second Japanese journalist has been beheaded by ISIS via photographic evidence of his headless body. – CNNSATURDAY:
The Jewish fraternity house on the campus of UC Davis was vandalized with swastikas. – NBCFRIDAY:
A student government resolution to divest from Israel as part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement on the campus of University of California, Davis passed prompting a student who sits on the UC Davis student senate to post “Hamas & Sharia law have taken over UC Davis” accompanied with a photo, post vote, while waving a Palestinian flag. – Free Beacon

This is the world we live in and these are just the weekend’s news items. It’s horrifying, cringe-worthy, disgusting and unfortunately becoming less dramatic. We need to make sure that this kind of news doesn’t become less dramatic. We intend to scream from the top of the roof that this is not the world we want to live in. This is not the world we’ve contributed to. This is not the world of rational members of society.

But that’s the catch. Rational members of society. That’s us. That’s people who prefer life over death. So, in the names of Daniel Pearl, Steven Sotloff, James Foley, Peter Kassig, Haruna Yukawa, Kenji Goto, Jordanian soldiers, the Kurdish people, Afgani police officers, UC Davis’ AEPi brothers, the French Jewish community and so many more, let’s stand up together against the irrational members of society. We will not sit in our comfortable homes believing that it won’t affect us because every day that we do that, another group of westerners are recruited to join the global fraternity of the irrational.

Write to your elected officials. Urge them to work with our partners around the world to stop this manifestation of hate. Get contact information for your officials (and a sample letter), local media contacts as well as world news sources and more at:

The Jewish Federation feels that a religious education can have a profoundly positive impact on our children and their Jewish identity. We help make religious school a reality for local children by offering need-based scholarship assistance for those in Sarasota and Manatee counties. As noted through the testimonials below, it is a much appreciated resource! Get the complete scholarship requirements from our website. Scholarships typically open in late July in preparation for the early September school registration!

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“A religious school education was an essential part of my upbringing. And now, the Federation scholarship program is making it possible for my son to receive similar instruction, and gain an understanding of his place in the Jewish community.”
David Abolafia

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“The Rosenstein family from Temple Beth El of Bradenton are very appreciative of the scholarship awarded from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Since our religious school is not large it is especially helpful. Thank you.”

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“As a parent with older children, I realize that a vital part of a child’s upbringing is not just the education they receive in school, but the education they receive in Religious school. In religious school children are taught about their rich Jewish Heritage and Judaism. When children learn about their faith and their background at an early age, it gives them a sense of self, pride and a feeling that they belong and that they are important. The children can learn about the Faith which their forefathers have carried with pride throughout generations. Our family is grateful for organizations such as The Jewish Federation, who do everything they can to make sure that every Jewish child is given a chance to learn about their Faith and Beliefs, through their Religious School Scholarship fund. And from everyone in our family, we would like to thank all those who make it possible for our children to learn and grow!”
A.E.G.

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“We are very grateful, and appreciate the assistance we have gotten from the Jewish Federation now, and in the past to help her attend Camp Coleman. These life Jewish experiences are very important for our family, and we would not be able to provide then on or own for Mackenzie at this point in or lives, unfortunately. Thank you very much. Some day when our circumstances change we hope to be able to contribute to another child in need of religious schooling, and Jewish over night camp. Thank you!”
Sincerely,
The Dyrda family

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“My son is 6 almost 7 years old and he is going to his first full year of Hebrew school thanks to The Jewish Federation and their scholarship awarded to my son. I would not be able to send him without their help. We are so thankful and feel very blessed. He has already attended 3 classes and is loving it. He already knows the first 5 letters of the Jewish alphabet which honestly I can only thank Chabad of Venice for providing the classes for Hebrew School. Again Without this wonderful scholarship my son would not be able to attend Hebrew School since I put my priorities for food and clothing first for my three kids. After all bills are paid I have nothing left and anything else goes on credit card which is not good considering how high they have their interest rates. Thank you so much for your financial support, we are so very grateful!”

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“Our family had filled out paperwork for our last two remaining sons to continue their Jewish educations, but were not sure how we would be able to keep them within the Religious School family as we could not afford $950.00 per child. We are a family of five sons and one granddaughter. My husband had lost his job due to my being Jewish and I am a full time student. We were fortunate enough to have someone kind enough to take on our scholarship and allow our last two children. They are paying for our Jacob and Jaiden to continue their Jewish education, along with prepare Jacob for his Bar Mitzvah. How do you thank someone for not only that kind of money, but that kind of Mitzvah, and the on going pride of Judaism that will forever remain in the heart of both of my children? Hashem put whomever took our family on, in our path for a reason and we cannot thank you enough. If we could hug you, we would.”
Sincerely,
The Barrett-Murphy Family.

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100 Days of Impact from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

100 Days of Impact started on September 22 and will run through the end of 2014. Each week we will demonstrate the the collaborative impact that we and our donors make locally and globally.

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee granted $35,000 to Embracing our Differences (EOD) in 2014, which provided program training to 220 teachers in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Joanna Fox has been teaching creative writing and language arts at Booker Middle School for fifteen years where teaching students to be a part of the community and not apart from the community is engrained into her curriculum. By transforming her classroom into The Dragonfly Café, Fox has created a community environment where sharing of ideas is encouraged. Through writing, students are taught that word choices can have an indelible impact on one’s destiny. Fox’s work with Embracing our Differences (EOD) exemplifies partnership not just between students and teachers, but also between schools and the community. By supporting our community’s students, EOD seeks to provide opportunities for every student in every school to participate in the program, as well as, visit the exhibit.

One of Joanna Fox’s students, Michael, was touched so deeply by EOD, that its impact literally transformed his life. With the recent death of his father and abandonment of his mother, Michael moved in with his uncle and transferred to Booker Middle School. With his world shattered, it’s no wonder why he arrived in class seemingly distant and unengaged. But, submitting a quote to EOD and being selected turned Michael’s life around. This simple, yet powerful recognition was described by Michael as “the best day of my life.” After receiving a candy bar from the school’s principal as part of that recognition, Michael broke off pieces to share with the entire class, savoring the last bit for himself. No longer feeling apart, Michael finally expressed desire in becoming a part of his community.

Michael’s Quote: The true color of people is not the shade of their skin but the tint of their personalities.

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100 Days of Impact from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

100 Days of Impact started on September 22 and will run through the end of 2014. Each week we will demonstrate the the collaborative impact that we and our donors make locally and globally.

Explore the important core values of Judaism, all while fostering a love of reading and community

Suzanne Hurwitz fondly reflects on her family’s experience with PJ Library, “Our family loves reading… so what could have been better than having Jewish books sent to our kids each month? They loved opening the envelopes and discovering new stories, and we loved that our traditions and history were being passed down. Now that they are a little older, we look back on our “PJ days” as the time in which their strong Jewish identities were just starting to form, with the help from a wonderful surprise each month.”

Thanks to the support of our generous donors, The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee provides hundreds of local children and families access to incredible Jewish content and programming through its partnership with PJ Library.

PJ Library promotes Jewish literacy amongst children in our community through the distribution of high-quality Jewish literature and music. Through the philanthropic efforts of The Karp Family Foundation, The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, this beloved community program is entirely free. Each month, across Sarasota-Manatee County, children ages 6 months to 8 years, and their families, are able to receive free books and music via mail, and together explore the important core values of Judaism, all while fostering a love of reading and community. Learn more here.

100 Days of Impact from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

100 Days of Impact started on September 22 and will run through the end of 2014. Each week we will demonstrate the the collaborative impact that we and our donors make locally and globally.

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee awarded $56,750 in camp grants and scholarships in 2014, helping to send seventy-nine children to Jewish overnight camps this summer.

Justin at Camp Ramah Darom

If it were not for the assistance of the Jewish Federation scholarship grant, I would not have been able to attend camp this year. A fantastic adventure for the past 8 years, this is my last year at Camp Ramah Darom as a camper. As a Senior Camper I will have the privilege of going on a 10-day road trip up the east coast.

I have truly grown up at camp and have had the best Jewish experience. The relationships I have made at Ramah Darom have impacted my life so much that I now aspire to become a camp counselor. I hope to give back and share my experiences with others and impact their lives as people have done for me.

These Jewish Federation Camp grants can help other children enjoy the many summers that I have and begin new journeys as well as develop a love for Jewish camping. If it were not for the Federation’s assistance, I would not have had the greatest summer ever. I am still at camp until August 4th, and Camp Ramah is my home away from home. With help from the Federation it can become your summer home too.

Written by Justin B., a sixteen year old 11th grader at Sarasota High School

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is a proud supporter of our Hillel here in New College and Ringling College, providing funds for an Outreach and Engagement Professional on the New College Campus as well as underwriting the costs associated with Hillel’s programming.

A Synopsis of the BDS/SJP Situation at USF
By Rabbi Ed Rosenthal, Executive Director, Hillels of the Suncoast

This past year saw an incredibly vociferous BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) Campaign at the University of South Florida by the USF Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Group. They had very visible programs including a petition with what they claimed had 10,000 names calling on the USF Foundation to Divest from Israel.

SJP protest at USF

Our students did an incredible job, behind the scenes, thwarting the efforts of SJP. We did not organize any open demonstrations against their programs which left them poorly attended and, without any conflict, came and went without even making a ripple. While SJP was busy getting signatures on their petition, our students prepared a brief for the USF Foundation Board showing how the signatures on the petition were not all valid, thereby drawing the entire petition into question. They then showed how students were not informed about the specific content of the petition, only that it was in support of human rights. Or that students were given free pizza if they signed the petition, and some students were actually badgered into signing. In addition, there was an online option which said, “if you are not a student at USF, you can sign the petition and use “U1234567” as an id number. This in addition to one-on-one meetings with Jewish trustees led to a unanimous rejection of the SJP motion for the USF Foundation to divest from Israel.

In light of the current conflict in Gaza and the fact that Tariq Khdeir (the American teenager who was beaten by Israeli police during a riot in Jerusalem) is from Tampa, we anticipate a much more vicious anti-Israel campaign this year.

SJP had sponsored a fundraising event for Gaza in the Marshall Student Center, which featured Tariq Khdeir and Sheikh Monzer Taleb. However, TruthRevolt.org posted an article which exposed Taleb as a fundraiser for Hamas. With this, SJP withdrew their sponsorship and the program was moved from the Marshall Student Center to the Embassy Suites Hotel on Campus. We are waiting for more about this from Truth Revolt.

Pro-Palestinian Protest in South Florida

We have added an Israel Fellow to our staff and, with the help of several outside agencies, anticipate bringing speakers to campus and raising the pro-Israel profile at USF. For the past couple years, our students have been working quietly behind the scenes building alliances with other student organizations and getting involved with student government in order to thwart the efforts of SJP. This year, they are taking a much more open and visible approach to providing pro-Israel programs and educational events on campus.

It’s going to be a busy and difficult year, but we are certain that our USF Israel Activists will do a wonderful job of presenting Israel in the positive light that she deserves across the campus.

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